


Fresh Tulips

by BandanaBanana28, Koori



Series: All The Different Kinds Of Flowers [2]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Everyone Is Gay, Fluff, Hate to Love, M/M, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-22
Updated: 2018-05-11
Packaged: 2019-03-22 16:44:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13768290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BandanaBanana28/pseuds/BandanaBanana28, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Koori/pseuds/Koori
Summary: Between the heavy responsibilities, flower gardens and long games of chess Liam had never anticipated falling in love. That changes when the royal court of Russia welcomes a guest not only with luxurious tastes but with beautiful eyes and a talent for being annoying in the right moments.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [All the different kinds of flowers](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13767735) by [BandanaBanana28](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BandanaBanana28/pseuds/BandanaBanana28), [Koori](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Koori/pseuds/Koori). 



> Hey everyone!  
> This is the Ziam part of the series!  
> If you notice any mistakes (language or history wise) please let us know :)  
> Also, if you have any tips or anything else to add, please do so!  
> Hope you enjoy!
> 
> PS: The Larry part of the story is sweet, smart and amazing so please take the time to read it! But if you still happen to decide to read only the Ziam part of the story, please still make sure to read the first chapter of the series as an introduction.

"Your lips are like a southern lily red,

wet with the soft rain-kisses of the night,

in which the brown bee buries deep its head,

When still the dawn´s a silver sea of light."

-A Red Flower by Claude McKay 

-

"Your majesty," Liam spoke, closing the door behind him. "You asked to see me?"

"Ah Liam, do come in" the prince asked from where he was seated comfortably in a huge armchair near near the fireplace.

He was clad in a heavy, bordeaux red robe, the countless golden rings on his fingers speaking of might and wealth. It was a facade he had put on, to demonstrate his strength among the court but especially for the arrival of their guests. The whole palace was desperate to convince them of the elegant and yet powerful force that is the royal court of Russia. Or at least, that was how the Czar saw it.

"How may I be of assistance, your highness?" Dark brown eyes met greenn ones, both of them staring at eachother, stone-faced, before they both burst into laughter. Harry held his stomach, his white teeth exposed and his dimples appearing on his cheeks.

"My dear Liam," he said, once he had collected himself a little bit, "I have a request, my old friend."

"What kind of request, your majesty?" Liam asked, leaning on the wall and looking at the prince expectantly. The prince rose from his feet and started pacing up and down the fireplace, reminding Liam of a tiger in a cage.

"As you know, the emir and his family are currently residing in our palace." Liam gritted his teeth. How could he _not_ know? The emir and his family, especially his youngest son had been occupying (and frankly annoying) the maids and servants ever since their arrival. The staff was in utter disarray, rushing to fulfill every ridiculous request the persian royalties came up with. From exotic fruits (shortly after the russian winter, when there was barely enough regular food), and herbs (that grew neither near Russia nor anywhere near Persia as far as Liam knew) to expensive oils and soapes that had to be ordered all the way from the far-away France. Yes, Liam knew about them and there were a fair amount of things he would rather do than spend one more second occupying himself with them.

"Indeed they are."

The monarch sighed. He pointed towards a large vase made out of colourful glass, decorated with delicate golden ornaments that was seated on a oaken commode near the entrance.

"One of prince Zayns requests. Please bring it to him." Liam rolled his eyes. He had, until then, successfully avoided prince Zayn, catching merely are than a glance of him as he rushed out of the carriage into the palace, a shadow clad in soft, coloufull robes fleeting from the freezing cold into his heated chambers.

"Yes Harry."

"He also requested you join him for a game of chess."

"I-I beg your pardon?" Harry sighed again, heavier this time.

"He asked for a good chess player and you are the first one that came to my mind."

Liam inhaled sharply. 

"What about Kasimir? He beats me at chess almost every time we play!"

"His skills were not to the princes satisfaction."

Liam rolled his eyes for the second time.

"Please, Liam."

The look on Liams face softened at his friends pleading tone, and he nodded. He knew that the royals presence a the palace stressed him as much as it stressed Liam.

"Anything for you, Harry."

He went and grabbed the vase, surprised at its weight and at the same time delighted by the sweet scent emerging from within it. Harry opened the door for him, as Liam had to support the vase with both his hands and he heard Harry whisper a quiet "Thank you." before the door closed again with a  _clink_.

-

The heat from within the princes chambers stepped trough the heavy wooden door out into the cool stone hallway, warm air condesating on the large windows. The prince had requested to heat his rooms to a ridiculous degree, allegedly for his  _santé_. Liam soon found himself struggling to knock on the door without dropping the extravagant vase on the floor. Eventually he managed to balance the vase between his shoulder, his arm and the wall, the whole time careful not to break it.

He could make out a soft sound from within the room and interpreting it as an invitation to enter, he pushed open the door and made his way inside.

The heat was even more intense than he had originally thought, and mixed with the smoke of a water pipe and the sweet smell of jasmin and curcuma heavy in the air, Liam immediately began feeling slightly dizzy.He carefully placed the vessel on a nearby table, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the smoke-thick air before he started scanning the chamber for its royal resident.

He finally spotted the prince on a large bed on the other side of the room, his figure slowly emerging from the thick, grey mist.

His raven black hair fell down over his shoulder like a nightly waterfall, the golden strings braided into his soft locks complimenting his dark, almond-shaped eyes and his golden skin. His entire form seemed to be sorrounded by a heavy, almost glowing dust, a mist that flew down his long neck and over his shoulders, covering his delicate hands and long legs all the way down to his toes.

He wore a heavy-looking gown, over and over embroidered with flowers made out of golden and silver string. The nib of a water pipe was delicately held by his long, slender fingers, the metal of his hand jewellery sparkling in the dim lightning, the only source of light in the room being the lit chimney in the corner of the room.

Liam didn't know what he had expected him to look like, but he was sure someone that nasty should't be that good-looking.

The man blew a large smoke ring in the air, his mouth moving in a way that did all kinds of things to Liam, before lazily drawling "You are Leeyum, I suppose? The prince told me a lot about you."

His accent was thick and smooth like honey, seeping trough his words and turning them into something softer.

Liam bowed his head, his eyes not leaving the magnificent prince in front of him.

"I am, your highness."

"Indeed." the royalty murmured, before gesturing Liam to stand straight.

"And what have you brought me?" he asked.

Liam stepped closer to his bed, grabbing the vase and putting it onto the princes nightstand.

"The oils you requested, your highness."

The prince took of the lid with elegant fingers, putting his well-shaped nose near the opening and inhaling the sweet scent. He scrounged up his face a little and made a small sound of disapproval. "It'll do." he stated, before putting the lid back on the vessel.

 _It´'l do_.

Liam quietly grinded his teeth. It was't like his staff spent days combing trough every parfumerie in Moscow, searching for those oils.

The persian went back to smoking and Liam was silent for a while, unsure of what to do before quietly asking "May I leave, your majesty?"

Zayn looked a little surprised, as if he had forgotten that Liam was still standing next to him. He opended his mouth, seemingly to send Liam away when something sparked in his dark eyes.

"I believe the prince mentioned you to be an excellent chess player?"

"I suppose I am, your highness." Liam replied, a little annoyed. The man hummed in approval, a sound so soft it almost made Liam forget about his nastiness. He gestured towards a large chessboard seated on the edge of his bed, with beautifully carved chess figures, even beating the chessboard the prince kept in his chambers.

"Why don't you join me for a game? To convince me of your abilities?" he suggested with what Liam assumed was amusement.

"As you wish, your majesty." Liam bowed, before heaving the chessboard closer to them. The prince pointed to a spot opposite to him. 

"Sit."

Liam obliged, climbing onto the bed, careful not to disturb even a single tiny pillow, not sure how long the royalties well-spirited mood might last. Even with an arms-lenght of distance, Liam could clearly smell the princes sweet, aromatic scent. It was nothing like anything he ever smelled before, nothing like any parfume, any soap or oil, any flower in the palace gardens or any herb in it's kitchens. It was something soft and warm and yet strong, something enchanting and something so, so fitting for such a mysterious creature.  Liam was so lost in his toughts that it took an impatient noise from the prince (Liam had only been mentally absent for a few seconds but apparently long enough to strain the royalty´s attention span) to bring him back to reality, considering for a moment, before deciding on keeping it simple and plainly moving a pawn.

Prince Zayn mirrored his move, pushing back his heavy blanket and instead sitting up on his heels in anticipation, reminding Liam of a cheetah,  ready to strike.

The game stretched into the late hours of the night, the prince letting out a tiny cheer overtime he beat one of Liams figures and scowling overtime Liam beat one of his.

Liam struggled to keep awake the whole time, fighting a constant battle against his eyelids and at the same time trying to be an acceptable oponent for prince Zayn. Eventually, and Liam didn´t know how, he was only a move away from winning, when the prince stated the dreamiest, most innocent voice "Emirs used to behead people who beat them at chess, you know."

Liam was immediately fully awake, former tiredness forgotten and now nothing more than a slight buzzing in the back of his head. He scrambled to make every mistake in the book to keep himself from winning and it didn´t take long until the prince shouted his triumphant _check!_ and finally slumped back on the bed after that, a satisfied smile on his face.

"You are indeed a good chess player Leeyum," he stated, sipping on one of the well-smelling drinks he had requested during their game.

"Thank you, your majesty."

"For a servant, I mean." the prince added.

Liam clenched his jaw.

"I am not just a servant, your highness. I am the son of the Tsars closest advisor." he explained, carefully.

The prince narrowed his eyes. "And how does that differ from a regular servant?"

"Well I-" Liam took a deep breath. "I have a lot of responsibilities. I organize events  and meetings, I supervise the staff..." Zayn made an unimpressed face, "I arrange the shopping and the food" he went on "nothing goes in and out of this palace without my knowledge. Not even your requests, your highness" he added. "What about my requests?" "Well they´re-" Liam swallowed, he knew he was entering dangerous territory, "- a little difficult sometimes." he ended his sentance. The prince pursed his lips. "Oh yes? How so?" he asked.

"Some things are just a little hard to get here in Russia." Zayn made a contemptuous sound, something between an snort and a hiss. "I belive it is your _job_ to obey my orders, whether they are´ _a little difficult_ ´ or not."

"No." Liam said, and almost clasped his hand over his mouth.

" _What?_ "

Liam cleared his throat. "I said no. That is not my job. It might be a maids job, but not mine and i do it to do my friend a favour. Your _requests_ " - he stressed that word precisely - "are ridiculous. You use up enough oil to drown Moscow _twice_ and enough soap to keep the stables clean for a year. There has not been an a day since your arrival without a maid crying or a servant having a breakdown. You-" at these words he pointed his finger at the surprised prince´s nose "are the worst."

Prince Zayn was silent for a few moments, dark eyes open wide and lips slightly parted and Liam almosed started to apologize when the surprised look on the princes face turned into something so dangerous that it took Liams entire self-reatraint to keep him running from the room.

"Be glad that I like you Leeyum." he said in a low tone "and now leave, before you make me _really_ angry."

To say the least, Liam was out of the room in a matter of seconds, practically running trough the halls to his chambers, closing the door and leaning against it, his heart still beating loudly but only the memory of the prince enough to put a smile on his lips.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!  
> This is the second chapter of the Ziam part!  
> Don´t worry about the timeline, the two parts will soon be in sync, my friend is still busy writing the "introduction" to this AU!  
> Make sure to read her part https://archiveofourown.org/works/13767735/chapters/31642665  
> And please enjoy!

Liam pressed his palms against his ears and groaned. The sun had barely started to shed the first rays of light over the horizon, the stars in the north still sparkling in all their cool glory. The only people around the palace that were already up and about were the cooks and the servants preparing breakfast. And yet- Liam was awake. In autumn, a family of crows had built their nest in the ivy growing around Liams window, the plant supposedly providing the birds shelter from the frosty weather. Liam hand´t had the heart to shoo them out of their newfound home, aware that they would probably freeze without it. Instead he chose to just suffer in silence, a suffering the birds never failed to provide, waking him up precisely at half past five AM every day, as reliable as a clockwork. Liam sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He shortly debated wether or not he should open the window to let in some fresh air but decided against it, instead enjoying the leftover warmth from lighting the chimney the night before.

He grabbed his clothes from where they lay neatly folded upon a wooden stool. Liam noted how they still smelled faintly of smoke and jasmine, memories of the previous night rising in his mind. He quickly pushed aside any thoughts about dark eyes and sensual voices, instead focusing on making himself presentable for the day.

There was a tiny flower stitched onto the sleeve of his shirt, a small detail Liam had requested when he had clothes tailored. It reminded him of easier times, times when Harry and him had been boys running around the castle grounds and nagging royal guests, not the soon-to-be tsar of Russia and his right-hand man.

He remembered picking flowers with Harry, sometimes for his mother and sister, sometimes for some of the tsars guests they really liked and sometimes just for themselves. Once he remembered putting them in between the pages of a big, heavy book in the library to dry and press them.

Liam wondered if they ever took out the flowers, making a mental note to check on it later.

When Liam finally tore himself out of his memory, the sun had climbed a lot higher, now dunking the room in a soft golden glow. Liam gazed out of the window, observing the tiny courtyard it looked into. The courtyard contained a small meadow and a few pots in which the maids had planted tiny rose bushes. The delicate plants were still covered in a small layer of frost, the twigs looking almost black in the grayish lightning. Soon the summer would finally start to fully embrace the country and the small roses would blossom in all of their humble beauty.

-

As Liam walked down the hallways to the kitchen to make further preparations for the ball, the palace already started to stir. Maids were carrying baskets of freshly washed clothing and pots of steaming water, servants were transporting silver trays with assortments of bread, fruit, and tea to various chambers. At one point, Liam almost ran into a maid carrying a fancy bowl containing something that looked like milk but smelled like nothing Liam had ever smelled before, confirming that prince Zayn was also awake.

By now, due to a lack of nervous maids knocking on his door or any further insufferableness by the prince, Liam had come to the conclusion that the raven-haired beauty was probably not as mad at him as he first had thought and he actually looked forward to their next encounter.

-

The kitchen was in excited motion when Liam stepped in. The cooks were preparing all kinds of snacks, soups and desserts, from beautiful cakes to artfully decorated pralines. Large stacks of fruit and wine were being piled up on one side of the room, the fruit currently being sorted into piles by a few maids.

Liam took his time wandering about the room, ticking things of his mental to-do-list and having occusational chats with the staff to check on their progress.

The next stop on his list was the ball room, a huge, darkish room with large chandeliers and heavy armchairs that were currently pushed into one corner of the room, a few large tables occupying almost half of it. The staff was busy decorating it with large vases of flowers, the most outstanding one being a huge bouquet full of colourful flowers  that was being set up on prince Harrys personal request. 

In another corner of the room an orchestra was currently setting up their instruments, armchairs and chaise lounges were being moved around to make room for the dance floor, servants hurrying all around the room. It took Liam until the afternoon to organize the chaos and to turn the ballroom into a more festive, more extravagant and most importantly presentable version of itself.

Liam slumped down onto one of the armchairs, allowing himself a moments breath while checking over his mental to-do-list once again.

He was pleased to find that he got everything done, deeming the ball as prepared after checking over the kitchens one last time and finally made his way to the library to look for the pressed flowers.

-

The library had always been a very relaxing place to Liam, the books, huge windows and quiet space having a calming effect on him. He made his way up a stairway, turning right towards a bookshelf filled with books on greek mythology. This had been Harrys and his favorite activity for stormy afternoons, reading about the ancient myths and adventures.

He took out a heavy book, a collection of classic myths, and flipped trough it. And really, pressed between the pages there were a few small, cobalt blue flowers, still rich in their colour, a bit of it even staining the pages.

Liam plucked one of the flowers from the book, carefully twirling it between his fingers.

He could still remember that day as if it was yesterday, Harry and seem had been running around the palace grounds all day, enjoying the rare heat and exploring the grounds for new, exciting places. That day, they had ended up in a small courtyard where a few flowerpots stood in a corner. They were filled with all sorts of colourful flowers, the plants growing without a real pattern. They had stood there for a while, simply admiring the beauty when Harry had reached forwards and plucked a few of the tiny blue flowers, pressing some of them into Liams hand and keeping the rest to himself.

Liam had almost protested but Harry had explained in a dreamy voice "These remind me of someone. Someone very special to me. I´ll bring him one of these flowers one day." so Liam had kept quiet and simply smiled. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a noise coming from behind him. He quickly turned around, expecting a servant or maybe even Harry since this was one of his favorite places in the palace.

Instead, there stood prince Zayn in all of his breathtaking beauty.

His black hair was tied in a bun, the golden strings sparkling along with his dark eyes. He was clad in a bright red robe, low cut enough to expose his delicate collarbones. Liam bowed, flower and book still in his hand.

"Your majesty" he stammered "About last night-" Zayn cut him off with a lazy hand gesture. "Nevermind that. I did very much enjoy our chess game after all." he spoke in his slow, drawling fashion. Liam smiled. The princes eyes wandered to the flower Liam still held in between his fingers. He held out his hand and Liam carefully placed the dried plant in his palm.

Zayn studied it for a moment before handing it back to Liam.

"It's very pretty. I've never seen a flower like this before," He stated thoughtfully.

Liam made a surprised noise. "Really?" he asked. The prince nodded, his earrings sparkling in the process. 

Liam considered for a moment before saying 

"If...your majesty and his family decide to stay for the summer, I might be able to show the flower to you when it actually blooms."

Zayn face lit up in excitement and Liam saw the tiniest of smiles creeping upon his face. A real, sincere smile instead of the lazy ones that usually played around his lips. Liam decided that he preferred this one.

"I would really like that, Liam."

"I-" Liam started but was cut of by the sound of gravel crunching and voices chattering. The first ball guests had arrived.

"I-I'm very sorry" he stammered  "But I _really_  have to go now, your majesty. I'll see you at the ball!" he added, before hurrying down the stairs and out of the library.

And when he tripped on a step, he could have sworn he saw Zayn giggling for a second.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!  
> I finally got around to write a new chapter :) sorry for taking way more time than my co-author but I promise the chapters will soon be longer!  
> Please also read the lovely Larry side of this fan fiction and please enjoy ! :)
> 
> The Larry part:  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/13767735/chapters/31642665

Liam watched anxiously as the first few guests entered the ballroom.  
He was well aware that the preparation was flawless, that there was nothing one could have done better because for this ball the Kremin truly had outdone itself. Every flower vase, every piece of fruit, every tiny cake was perfectly arranged, the armchairs and tables had been repositioned what felt like hundreds of times, every portrait and tapestry had been adjusted and readjusted until it complimented the room perfectly.  
But even tough Liam knew what a good job they had done, he also knew how much some people enjoyed to ignore any effort and to complain about anything remotely crooked.  
The first group (two ladies with extravagant dresses and hair curled to perfection, and two gentlemen with smug grins on their faces wearing pretty much identical suits) slowly made their way around the hall, the ladies openly awing at the decorations, the gentlemen's grins turning into something a little more set back.  
After the first group, the hall slowly started to fill up with more and more guests and Liam felt himself relaxing with every amazed look, every delighted hum after someone tasted the food, and every compliment someone made towards a servant.  
After a while, it became clear to him that even the most nasty and complicated guests had a hard time to find anything to complain about.

Delighted, Liam grabbed a glass of wine from a servant but almost choked on his drink when he saw prince Zayn and his family entering the room.  
He still had his hair in a tight bun but the golden strings had been removed, leaving just his midnight black hair. He was wearing dangerously low cut midnight blue robes embroided with tiny silver stars and moons, the golden jewellery on his hands replaced by silver ones.  
His tanned skin glowed warm in the dim lightning in contrast to the cool look on his face.  
Liam watched as he sweeped trough the crowd, standing out wherever he went like he was some kind of supernatural creature that had taken human form.

He heard a quiet laugh and turned to see Harry giggling like a little child, the happiest Liam had seen him all evening.  
„What?“ Liam asked defensively after he had recovered from a tiny coughing fit.  
„Nothing,“ the future Tsar grinned, „Can't blame a man for having eyes.“  
Liam groaned and playfully smacked his arm. „Oh shut up. At least I know how to properly dress myself.“ He gestured towards Harrys richly decorated shirt, the embroidements around the collar competing with the ornaments on the chandeliers.  
"Big words from someone with flowers stitched on his sleeves," the prince returned.

Liam opened his mouth to defend himself but the words got stuck in his throat when he noticed a figure gliding trough the entrance doors.

Qitura, the emirs older daughter had walked in and Liam suddenly felt like the temperature had just dropped by a few degrees.

He nuged Harrys shoulder.  
„You know what to do.“ he said, ignoring the sour look on the princes face. „She's your best option in marriage. And it's not like she's ill-favoured. A lot of men in this room would envy you for her hand,“ he added, glancing at the beautiful princess.  
„I'm sure that's not the only thing they envy me for,“ Harry stated, bitterness clear in his voice.

Liam knew Harry was not happy at all with the idea of an arranged marriage, no matter with whom, the romantic idea of marriage out of love still clouding his understanding oft the positive impact his marriage with Quitura could have.

Liam watched his friend make his way towards the princess with a fake smile on his lips.  
He sighed, taking another sip from his wineglass and wondering why things had to be so complicated.

„You look terrible,“ a soft voice behind him stated. Liam turned around, already knowing who that voice belonged to.  
„Your majesty.“ He bowed. „Are you enjoying yourself?“  
The prince shot him a lazy smile, his long fingers twirling the stem oft his glass. „I am indeed. You did a good job at organizing this.“

Liam raised his eyebrows. "How come you know _I_ did the organizing?"

"Must be exhausting to be in charge of something so important," the prince stated thoughtfully, ignoring Liam's question. "Is that why you were so stressed earlier?"

Liam laughed. "With respect, your highness, but I don't think there has been a single day I haven't been stressed ever since I turned sixteen." Now it was the prince's turn to raise his eyebrows. "Is that so? I wasn't aware you were such a _busy_  man." There was a hint of teasing in his voice that threw Liam a little of the rails and he cleared his throat before answering "Yeah- I uh it's alright. It's usually not that much. It has just been a lot since- " he stopped in the middle of the sentence. 

"Since my family has arrived?" prince Zayn finished his sentence, challenge gleaming in his dark eyes. Liam mentally smacked himself. "I-  _no_ \- it's just that... some of your majesty's requests are very hard to come by in Russia (not that it bothers us, no way!) but all in all it has been an absolute pleasure, your majesty is very kind-"

"Calm down," Zayn interrupted his rambling, amusement clear in his voice. "I was joking." Liam sighed in relief.

"Even tough it is flattering to know how fond you are of having me here," the prince added playfully. Liam swallowed. In a matter of seconds this conversation had taken a turn in a whole new direction.

"Well, you and your family are of course very welcome in the Kremlin. It's my pleasure to help strengthen the trading conditions and maby find the Tsar a good wife in your sister. What is your opinion of the arrangement?" Liam asked, determined to guide the conversation back to safer grounds. The princes amused smile quickly transformed back into his neutral face expression and for a moment Liam thought he caught the glint of something in the prince's eyes that deeply confused him. Not anger but...disappointment?

"I don't mind it. It will be a good arrangement for Qitura and an advantage for our trade," he replied in a bored tone.

"Qitura is a nice girl. I have a sister too. You would like her." Liam smiled at the thought of Lesya.

"Oh really?" 

"Yes," Liam said. "You have a lot in common. You both like tea and chess and she's also constantly cold," he listed, the last point in a rather teasing voice. Zayn pouted playfully. "I can't help it. It's really cold in Russia," he murmured. "Oh, don't worry your majesty. We don't mind cutting down our forests for your comfort," he joked. The prince sucked in a breath. "I'm not that bad!"

"You are," Liam grinned smugly "Usually we restock the chimneys with firewood twice a day. We restocked yours six times today."

The prince was quiet for a moment before quietly saying "You know," "Huh?" "My rooms are not the only thing I like hot." Liam almost dropped his glass while Zayn threw his head back and started laughing loudly. 

Liam waited for the prince to calm down before murmuring "Very funny your majesty."

"You don't have a very good sense of humour, Leeyum." Zayn stated, still giggling quietly.

"You would be surprised," Liam murmured, his attention suddenly having shifted from prince Zayn to the side of the ballroom where his father was narrowing his eyes at him suspiciously. He shot him a questioning look to which his father replied with a gesture signaling him to come over.

"If your majesty will excuse me for a second," he said, pushing past the surprised prince and towards his father.

As soon as Liam was close enough, his father roughly grabbed him by the arm and pulled him close. " _What_ do you think you're  _doing_?" he hissed. Liam ripped his arms out of the older mans grip. "What are you talking about?" "Talking the the emirs son! You! You know exactly how easy it is to upset him! You are one wrong word away from ending any trading deals we have with his family!" "We were just talking!" Liam exasperated "He's a normal human being, you know. One can have a normal conversation with him!"

"One yes," his father said, bitterness clear in his voice. "But you? No, Liam." "I'm not a dunce, father," Liam spat.

His father shook his head. "If you only had half the mind of your mother. Do the whole palace a favor and stick to your assigned tasks, son." Liam was already in the motion of turning on his heels and marching of when his father called "Oh! And Liam!" "Yes?" "Never speak to any of the emirs sons ever again."

-

Liam had spent most of the last hour fuming in a corner and observing Harry interact with Qitura, when suddenly something caught not only his attention but Harrys too. In the entrance of the ballroom stood two men, a small one with a grumpy look on his face and a little taller one with a grin that suggested that he was already having the time of his life, both with disheveled hair and sparkling blue eyes. He watched Harry rush towards them, the three quickly engaging in conversation. Soon enough, the enthusiastic one walked of and disappeared in the crowd while Harry guided the smaller one to the other end of the room where the armchairs and chaise lounges had been arranged.

Liam curiously watched their interaction, Harry now seemingly way more relaxed and actually getting some laughs and grins from the grumpy looking man. From time to time his vision was blocked by dancing folk, Liam using these opportunities to scan around the room for prince Zayn, frequently finding him at his parents side giving everyone in the room cool looks. He himself had relaxed a little, laughing at the people dancing some kind of farmers dance the taller man had taught them and clapping along with the music enthusiastically.

After a while, Liam noticed Harry talking to a family that had positioned themselves right in front of him so Liam could't make out his friends face. Eventually the prince got up, took the women's hand and guided her onto the dance floor. He noticed the small man fidgeting on his seat for a while before he got up and made his way towards what Liam assumed were the palace gardens. It took Harry a few more dances before he realized his friend had wandered of and Liam watched him first talking to the taller man, then hurrying out into the gardens after the smaller one. Liam considered going after them, but he decided to wait, instead choosing to ignore his fathers words and talking to prince Zayn.

-

"Your highness." He bowed as greeting to which the prince only raised his eyebrows.

"You were quick to hurry off Leeyum." 

"My father requested to talk to me," he stated. "And after that you were unable to return?" Liam shuffled his feet a little before saying "He suggested I better not talk to you." Zayn made a surprised sound. "And why is that?" "He believes I might say something wrong and ruin our relationship with your family." The prince smirked. "Oh please. What kind of interest would I have in ruining a perfectly fine relationship because of a single conversation?" "You are said to be a very...complicated character, your majesty." Zayn waved his hand dismissively. "None of that. Your father shall know that I decide myself to whom I wish to talk, and that if I enjoy talking to you I shall continue to do so."

Liam grinned at the statement. "Too kind, your majesty." Zayn smiled lazily, then made an "Oh!" sound, presumably having just remembered something important. 

"Talking about conversation," he said. "Would you like to join me for another round of chess tomorrow evening?" Liam was quiet for a moment. He took his time to observe the prince in the now even dimmer light, the night now a dark curtain over the sky. He admired Zayns perfectly shaped face, his dark hair, his glowing skin, his soft lips, his almond-shaped eyes before delightfully answering

"I would love to, your majesty."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a hot summer day.

Liam spent almost the entire afternoon watching Zayn and his sisters on the lawn. The incredible heat had cooled down to a relaxing chill that was apparently too cold for Qitura and Zarah since they soon got up and went back inside, taking their guard with them and leaving Zayn to himself.

Liam knew that this was his opportunity to talk to him alone, one that he hadn't had often lately, so he took a big breath and made his way down the balcony and over the meadow. The prince was still lying on his back, his light golden and blue robe making him look like one of the now blossoming flowers in the palace gardens. He was slowly chewing on one of the sweet, purple grapes from the basket next to him and reading a novel, his eyes fixed to the pages, long eyelashes casting shadows over his sharp cheekbones.

"Good day, your majesty!" Liam called, trying to catch the princes attention. Zayn didn't even blink, just turned a page in his book and popped another grape in his mouth. Liam smiled and shook his head at the royalties childishness. He knelt down next to him and cleared bis throat. Nothing. 

"Your highness?"

"Hmmm?" The prince turned his head a little and studied Liam with his dark eyes. His honey-coloured skin was glowing in the warm light of the sun, his black hair brushing his face like soft feathers. He smelled like herbs and tea and grapes and Liam was very tempted bury his nose in Zayn's neck and suck in every small note of his scent.

"It's pretty warm today, isn't it?" 

Zayn shrugged. "I find it's rather cold. No surprise tough, it is Russia after all."

"Really?" Liam sat down and stretched out his legs. "All this heat makes me want to hide in a cave for the rest of the summer." Zayn smiled.

"There is actually a tale of people hiding in a cave from the roman times up until now. It's called Ahl al-kahf. You could join them."

Liam shook his head and laughed. "Sounds great but I think I rather like the sun. Just in a smaller dosage." 

They sat in silence for a while, Zayn going back to reading his novel and Liam watching him read when Liam suddenly spoke, "Remember that time in the library when I told you I could show that flower if you stayed for the summer?"

A small smile crept onto Zayn's lips and he nodded. "Well, now is the exact time it should be in full bloom" he grinned and streched out his hand to the prince. "Come with me?" he proposed. Zayn yawned, stretched lazily and then took his sweet time to grab Liams hand, rise to his feet and sort out his robe, wiping grass from the fabric.

"And where do we find it?" he asked when he was done a good while later.

"What?"

"The flower!" he stated impatiently "Where do we find it?"

"Oh! Follow me!" Liam took his hand and pulled the prince behind him over the meadow, around a corner, trough a courtyard, around another corner, down a small path into another courtyard where Liam came to a halt with a confused expression on his face. He had tried to follow the mental map of the palace he had drawn when he ran around the place with Harry all those years ago, a plan that didn't really work out so well. Zayn, having lost all sense of orientation and completly out of breath let go of Liams hand to instead dramatically wipe the sweat from his brows.

"Where are we?" he snapped.

"Good question," Liam murmured, taking another look around the courtyard. There was a small fountain, some flower pots with rose bushes, a cat sleeping in a corner and no sight of the colourful flowerpots.

"I thought you knew the way!"

"Me too."

Zayn sighed dramatically, crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Liam. Liam took another look around the courtyard, then he closed his eyes and tried to recreate the way he took with Harry.

"If I'm not completely wrong then..."

"Then what."

"...then it should be around that corner." He started walking again, a still sulking Zayn following him. And he was right, when he rounded the corner he felt like he went back in time. Everything was exactly as he imagined, the trees, the lawn, the pots bursting with all kinds of colourful flowers. He took a moment to take a deep breath, the air filled with the sweet scent of the flowers and pine-trees.

He walked over to the flower pots, searching for the little blue blossoms."Look!" he said, pointing at a few azure specks at the very edge of the pots. He carefully picked one of the flowers and handed it to Zayn.

"It's very pretty," the prince said, voice suddenly soft and quiet, fingertips carefully brushing the blossom.

"Like you," Liam replied.

"What is it called?" Zayn asked, ignoring the compliment and istead examining the flower closely.

"Flax." Liam took a step closer to the other. "It usually grows on corn fields."

"Flax." Zayn repeated, ripping out one of the petals. "Hey what-" "And why does it grow here?"

"I-I don't know." Liam responded, still confused. The prince ripped out another petal. "Maybe the person who planted these pots just likes flowers. They don't really seem to care what kind as long as it's colourful," he added.

"Yeah. Maybe." Another petal. Liam cleared his throat. "You don't have flowers at home?"

"No, we do." Another petal. "I don't live in a desert." Liam blushed, embarassed. Another one.

"They're just not as pretty as here."

The last one.

"W-" Liam was interrupted by a pair of lips suddenly pressed against his. After a small moment of shock he fiercly kisssed back, wrapping his arms around Zayns back and pulling him closer.

Zayn let go of the now petalless flower, instead placing his hands on each side of Liams face. Liam closed his eyes, devouring the taste of Zayn. Grapes, tea and something bittersweet like dark chocolate.

The two of them eventually ended up on the lawn in each other's arms, breathing heavily and grinning like idiots.

"You love me," Zayn stated when they finally regained their breath.

"Yeah," Liam whispered, still completely overwhelmed.

"That's funny," the prince smiled mischievously.

"Why?"

"Because I love you too."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone :) please enjoy this new chapter!

"Liam?"

Liam looked up from his desk where he had been staring absentmindedly at his collection of unfinished work. His father was standing in the doorway, arms crossed.

"Yes?" Liam asked, alerted, getting up from his chair. His father stepped in and closed the door behind him before walking over to Liam until he stood face-to-face with him. He roughly grabbed Liam by the arm and pulled him close enough that Liam could feel his breath on his face. "When I told you to stay away from Prince Zayn, did you think I was joking?"

"I-what-no!" His father let out a bitter laugh. "I'm surprised your head is still on your shoulders. With your talent I was sure you could have ruined the Tsar's possible engagement in no time. Prince Zayn seems to have a soft spot for you tough." he added. Liam huffed and tried to pull his arm away but his fathers grip only got stronger, cutting of the bloodflow and sendig a strange, tingling sesation trough his arm. They remained like this for a few seconds, Ljewin glaring at him until he lowered his eyes before he suddenly let go of Liams arm and instead walked over to the window.

"Anyway, thats not why I am here."

"Oh really?" Liam grumbled, rubbing at his upper arm where the blood slowly started flowing again and where his fathers grip had surely left a bruise.

"I'm here because of you, Liam."

Liam raised his eyebrows in fake-surprise. "Because of me? What an honour."

"During the ball I had a lovely chat with count Ermolai," Ljewin went on, ignoring Liams snarky remark "As you may know, him and his wife are looking for a suiting husband for their daughter Sofia-"

"Oh no no no way!"

"And as the son of the Tsar's adviser-"

"Father, you can't just set me up-"

"I thought you very fitting-"

"With someone I haven't even met-"

"...lovely girl. "

"FATHER"

"And it would do you good to marry her."

Liam closed his eye and rubbed the sides of his head in an attempt to collect himself. He knew that it would be almost impossible to get out of at least meeting up with this girl, not if this arrangement was in some way beneficial for his father.

"I'll think about it."

Ljewin let out a short, humorless laugh.

"There's nothing to think about, son. You're meeting her for lunch tomorrow and if everything goes well, you two will be married before the first snow falls."

"But-"

"That is the end of the discussion. Now hurry up, Prince Zayn requested you for a game of chess." With that, his father left the room, closing the door behind him.

-

"Can you believe him?" Liam fumed, continuing the rant he had held since he had entered the prince's chambers.

"Hm." Zayn was seated oposite to Liam on the huge bed, legs crossed and chin rested upon his hand, long fingers tapping against his cheekbones. He had been oddly quiet during their entire game, responding mostly with huffs and "Hmms.", leaving more room for Liam to express his anger.

"Are you okay?" Liam asked, irritateded enough to put the topic of his possible marriage aside.

"I-" the words seemingly got stuck in Zayns throat and he looked to the side before continuing. "I'm leaving."

"You're _what_ _?_ " Liam aked, flabbergasted.

"I'm leaving," the prince repeated, his voice clearer this time. "I'm going back home."

"What? Why? When?"

Zayn only shook his head. Liam pressed his palms against his eyes and groaned loudly. "Are you serious? First my father is trying to marry me off to someone I don´t even know and now you´re _leaving?_ Great. Bloody great," he stated bitterly. He got up from the bed and started walking towards the door.

"Liam wait!"

"What?" he turned around, suddenly exausted. The prince now sat on the edge of the bed, dark eyes big and hands fidgeting.

"I..." he tried to say something, but nothing came out of his mouth.

"It's okay." Liam said, before turning around and stepping out of the room.

-

He had spent the next morning pacing up and down in his room, his thoughts spinnig. When lunch finally approached, he was barely more than just a bundle of nerves. They decided to have lunch in the garden at a small, white table in the middle of the lawn, surrounded by flower beds and small fountains. Liam was a little early, he head decided it was better to wait in the calm of the garden than in his room.

"Hi! Are you Liam?" asked a clear voice, ripping him from his toughts. Liam wasn't sure what he had expected but he was surprised anyway. He had imagined Sofia as one of the stuck-up, dressed-up ladys with nasty attitudes that usually hung around the palace. Sofia was none of those things. She had shoulder-lenght dark blonde hair, brown eyes and freckles. She wore small earrings and a simple blue dress, nothing fancy but still somehow classy.

"Yes. And you must be Sofia?" the girl smiled, her brown eyes glowing in the sun.

She was nice, Liam asserted. She read a lot, was fluent in french and an expert in gardening. During their meal, Liam learned more about flowers than he had ever learned from the palaces´ gardeners. They decided to take a walk around the gardens, Liam showing her the different flowerbeds and Sofia telling him interesting things about them.

"Did you know that in holland, tulips were once more valuable than gold?"

"What? No way." Liam crouched in front of the flowerbeds and plucked one of the white flowers before standing up again and placing it behind Sofias ear, making her giggle. They spent the entire afternoon like this and when it was finally time for Sofia to go home, they agreed to meet again the next day for lunch, both of them smiling as they said goodbye.

It would have been easy to marry her, Liam knew and so easy to have adorable little children with her.

And so, so easy to fall in love with her.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> Please enjoy this chapter :)

"Did you know that roses are related to apples?" Sofia asked from where she had her head rested on Liams lap. They were sprawled upon one of the many lawns in the palace gardens, the heat of the afternoon sun reducing their activity to talking or, more specifically, to Sofia talking and Liam listening.

"Really?" Liam asked, turning the rose he held in his hand. Sofia smiled and opened her mouth to respond but was suddenly interrupted by a servant that was hurrying over the meadow towards them. "Liam," the servand gasped when he finally reached them "Prince Zayn requested your presence in his chambers." Liam rolled his eyes.

"How urgent is it?"

"How about he threw a glass at me when I told him you were busy?" Liam sighed and made an attempt to get to his feet when Sofia grabbed him by the arm and gently pulled him back down again.

"Would you like to have dinner with me and some of my friends this evening?" Liam smiled and nodded. "That would be lovely."

"Great! I'll pick you up later."

Sofia beamed back at him and let go of his arm so Liam could follow the servant over the lawn back to the palace. Even tough the sun was mostly covered by fluffy grey clouds the heat was still barely managable for Liam. Every window in the palace was opened as wide as possible, making the hallways seem lighter and letting in a nice breeze.

When they reached the door to prince Zayns chambers, the other guard knocked and then excused himself. "Come in," a familiar voice from the inside said.

The prince was sitting cross-legged on his bed, a cup of tea in his hands. He was wearing a light shirt and wide, colourful pants and had his hair tied up in a bun.

"Leeyum. Come sit down." He patted on a spot next to him. Liam sat down on the edge of the bed, his arms crossed. They were both quiet for a moment before Zayn started "Leeyum I'm sorry I-"

"Oh no no no." Liam interrupted him. "Not this."

"Huh?"

"Not this." he repeated. "Let me guess. You have a girlfriend and now that you're bored of me you're going back home."

"Liam this is not about you."

"Of course not!" Liam said "It's never about me. Not this, not us, not even my own marriage. And these are pretty big words coming from someone who makes everything about himself."

Zayn murmured something inaudible.

"What?"

"Would you- Would you like to come with me?" Liam turned to look at him. The prince held his tea in both hands, dark eyes wide.

"Where?"

Zayn was quiet for a moment "Back home."

"Are you kidding me?" Zayn said nothing. "I- are you kidding me?" Liam repeated.

"I don't see why not."

"Well" Liam started counting on his fingers "First of all I'm not leaving Harry to the vultures. Second of all I'm sure my father would just _love_ that. Third of all so would Harry. Fourth of all I'm about to get married." "You're not even engaged ." "And fifth of all, don't you have a girlfriend?"

"Liam there is _no girlfriend._ " he took a deep breath. "I'm going home because I'm- I'm homesick."

"You're _homesick?_ " Liam laughed. "Your whole family is here and it looks like you brought your entire wardrobe. What are you homesick for?"

"It's my travel wardrobe." Zayn pouted. "And just because my family is here doesn't mean I can't get homesick."

"I guess."

"Think about it." Zayn said, before crawling in Liam's lap and wrapping his arms around Liams neck.

"Also." he smiled, his nose barely brushing Liams. "there is a play tonight that I would like to see. With you."

"Ugh."

"Leeyum."

"I already have plans for dinner."

"It starts after dinner."

"Fine."

"Great! It'll be fun!" the prince cheered before hopping off Liams lap. "And now leave. I have to get changed."

"I'm good."

"Leeyum."

"Fine."

-

"And this is Liliya." Sofia introduced a brown-eyed girl with brown locks held back with a dark blue ribbon. "Hello" Liam smiled. "I'm Liam. It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too."

Sofia led him over to one of the small tables, a waiter serving them to glasses of wine.

"So you're goind to the theater with the prince tonight?"

"Yes." Liam smiled.

"Sounds great. Which play?" she asked, sipping her wine.

" _´Romeo and Juliet´"_

"Oh I love that one!" Sofia grinned. "ÍtÄs so romantic." 

"Oh really?" Liam laughed. "Would you like to be Juliet?"

"No I-" Sofia was quiet for a moment. Her eyes flicked to where Liliya was standing and then back to Liam. "Liam I- I'm in love. With someone."

Liam smiled. "Me too." Sofia giggled. "So it's more like a date tonight?"

Liam groaned. "Am I that obvious?"

Sofia raised her eyebrows and grinned. "Oh please." They both burst into laughter, causing the waiter serving them their food to give them a weird look.

-

"And that's why Shakespeare was a genius." Liam stated, slapping Zayns thigh who had been dreamily smiling at the whole time Liam explained the literary genius of _´Romeo and Juliet`_ to him. By now they were the only ones left in the theater. Liam leaned back in his seat and smiled.

"I love the theatre."

"I love you." Liam turned to look at Zayn. His dark eyes were glowing and his mouth was curled into a tiny smile. Liam leaned down and pressed a kiss to his nose. "I love you too." he got up and grabbed Zayns hand, pulling him to his feet.

"Let's have a look at the stage, shall we?"

When they reached the front of the stage, Liam wrapped his arms around Zayns and lifted him up before climbing up himself. Zayn wrapped both his arms around Liams neck and pulled him in. Liam smiled at him and started to place tiny kisses all over Zayns face, the prince giggling the whole time.

"I love you." Kiss.

"I love you." Kiss.

"I love you." Kiss.

Zayn grabbed Liams face and pulled him in for a kiss that took both their breaths away. They were both gasping for air when the pulled apart.

"I love you too." he breathed.

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys :)  
> Please enjoy this chapter :)

The sun had barely started to tint the sky a warm orange colour when Liam was already up and about, pacing in his room and thinking about what he was going to say to Harry. He finally slumped down on his bed with a sigh, burying his face in his pillows. He still wasn't sure if he should really go with Prince Zayn and he knew the only person  he could talk to about it was his best friend. But he also knew that Harry needed him by his side when he was Tsar and with whatever was going on between him and this blue-eyed farmer.

He pushed himself up, rubbing his eyes and stretching his arms to wake himself fully up before making his way out of his room but before he closed the door behind him, he spotted the bag he had packed for the journey. It contained a few shirts, a book and some of the dried flowers he had found in the library carefully pressed between the pages. It wasn't much, but Liam had no idea what else to pack since he wouldn't need warm coats and the Prince had reassuerd him that he would find enough books at his home. He sighed again before quietly closing the door as not to wake anyone up.

-

When Liam stepped into his chambers, Harry was still fast asleep, the blanket tangled between his legs and hugging a pillow, his brown curls messy. Liam sat down on the edge of his bed and started poking his foot.

"Haz."

"Haz."

"Haz."

The prince groaned loudly and covered his ears with the pillow, wiggling his foot. Liam proceeded to tickle the underside of his feet, making Harry squirm and eventually sit up.

"What?" he glared at Liam while running a hand trough his dark curls. Liam opened his mouth to reply when he spotted a small oil bottle on Harrys bedside table.

"Had a lot of fun last night?" he grinned, pointing at the bottle. Harrys cheeks went pink and he shrugged. "I mean, have you seen Louis?"

"Wait _he_ was here? You did it here? In the palace?"

"What, I thought that would be old news to you?" the prince said, smugly, making it Liams turn to blush. "Wait," the prince said, sounding way more  awake than before. "You haven't slept with each other? How?"

"Why did you assume we slept with each other?"

"Well-"

"You know what?" Liam said, rubbing the sides of his head. "Nevermind. That's not why I'm here anyways."

"Why are you here then?" Liam took a big breath. "As you may know, Prince Zayn is leaving today." He waited for Harry to nod before continuing. "And well- he asked me to come with him."

Harry was silent for a moment before asking "And what did you say?"

"I- I said I would think about it."

"And?" Harry raised his eyebrows. "Are you coming with him or not?"

"I don't know. That's why I'm here."

"Well, it's not my desicion to make-"

"And that's not what I'm asking." He turned to Harry and gave him a small smile. "You're my best friend Harry. And I know you need me here."

Harry turned his head and looked away. "You don't need to stay here because of me."

"That's not the point and you know it. I love him, like, actually love him. But-" Liam added "If you say the word, I'll stay here."

They were both silent for a moment. "No, you're right." Harry stated, voice bitter. "Go with him."

"Harry."

"Just go with him Liam. And please be happy with him." He leaned forward, grabbing Liams hand in his and squeezing it.

"Good bye, Harry."

"Good bye, Liam."

-

"Amazing," Liam said, watching Zayn pour the tea in the tiny glasses while holding his hand as high up as he could.

"It's really sweet. And hot," he said, handing his glass to Liam. "Like you."

"Sap."

"You love it."

"I really do." the prince smiled, pressing a kiss to Liams cheek. They were currently sitting around a small bonfire to have dinner. They both had blankets around their shoulders because even though the day had been very warm, when the sun went down it quickly got chilly. Liam watched the price as he shoveled couscous in his mouth, his dark eyes glowing in the warm light of the bonfire. The warmer it got and the more desserts they passed, Zayn seemed to be more and more energetic.

"Are you eating that?" he asked, pointing at Liams half-eaten bowl of couscous and vegetables. He pushed it towards Zayn and grinned. "Please."

"Thank you." the prince smiled before placing a large spoonful of Liams couscous in his mouth. "How come you eat so much?".

Zayn swallowed before answering "It takes energy to be this good-looking."

Liam snorted. "Sure."

"You have no appreciation for good food."

"Couscous?"

"Yes?"

Liam snorted again, making Zayn flick a chickpea at him.

"Couscous is amazing. You can eat it with fish, you can eat it with vegetables."

"So all you eat is couscous?"

"No. I just like it. Do _you_ only drink wine?"

"No. I just like it."

"See."

"Whatever." Zayn flicked another chickpea at him. "Stop."

"Pff." another cickpea. "Ugh."

"Aw." the prince grinned. He set the bowl aside, leaned forwards and placed a kiss on Liams cheek.

"Can I have a proper one?"

"Maby once you've found your appreciation for couscous."

"Ugh."

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyy everyone :)  
> A quick note to everyone who reads both parts of this series: Our works are not entirely synchronized i.e. ZoeRavenclaw28´s works latest chapter is set a little before mine :)  
> Anyways, please enjoy reading this chapter :)

-

"And this is where I sleep." Liam glanced behind Zayns shoulder into a large, dimly lit room. The floor and the walls were almost entirely covered in several brightly coloured carpets, the only source of light at the moment being a small oil lamp that was hanging from the celing. The bed was basically dissapearing under a mountain of huge pillows and blankets and there were books scattered over the whole floor.

"Is there even enough room for you between all these pillows?" Zayn shrugged. "I like to sleep comfortably."

"I figured."

"Shut up."

Zayn led them away from the room and around a few corners into a a small courtyard. In the center of the courtyard stood a small fountain, the water covered in rose petals and tiny white flowers Liam had never seen before.

"What are those?" he picked one of the small flowers out of the water and twirled it between his fingers. It had a strong fruity-sweet scent that made Liam feel a little dizzy.

"Orange blossoms." Zayn leaned in to smell at the flower in Liams hand. "You can make use it to make oils and perfume. It's my favorite scent," he added.

"I didn't know orange trees blossomed."

"What?" Liam flushed. "I mean- I don't know. I've only ever seen Apple trees blossom. Or potato plants."

"Liam," Zayn said very slowly. 

"Yes?" 

"Do you know _anything_ about plants?" Liam turned way to flick the flower back into the fountain, his cheeks now nearly as red as the rose petals.

"How would I know anything about orange trees? I've never seen one before."

"You know what? Forget it." Zany grabbed his hand and led them out of the cortyard into a small hallway. They had started their tour of Zayns home barely fifteen minutes ago and Liam already had no idea where they were. At the end of the hallway was yet another courtyard but this one was absent of a founain. Instead, there was a huge wooden door on the opposite side of the courtyard, that was covered in tiny elaborate carvings. Zayn pushed them open and Liam's breath caught in his throat at the sight that was the room behind it.

It was unmistakeably a bath, the center of the room being a large, steaming pool the size of a ballroom. The celing was incredibly high, like almost every celing in the house but here the walls, floor and celing were covered and covered in artful and detailed mosaics that created beautiful patterns all over the room. It was very quiet, the only sound being the quiet ripple of the water. A familiar scent, the one of orange blossoms, was heavy in the air and seemed to evaborate from the pool and spread out over the entire room.

"We put orange blossom oil in the water. Like I said, it's my favorite scent," Zayn explained while pulling the wide shirt he was wearing over his head. Liam watched wide-eyed as the soft fabric slipped away and revealed the princes slim chest, his skind glowing almost golden in the dimly lit room.

"What are you waiting for?" Zayn asked, sounding impatient. 

"I- uh-" Liam stuttered before quickly ridding himself of his waistcoat and starting to unbutton his shirt. When he had finally fumbled all of the buttons open he looked back up. The prince hat already successfully stripped himself of all his clothing and had halfways descended into the steaming pool, the water swirling around his waist. He turned around to grin at Liam who was now sruggling to open the laces on his leather shoes, twice almost tripping in the process. When he finally stripped of his last few layers of clothing, his fingers and hands were already shaking with anticipation.

He dipped a toe into the water, finding it to be a very pleasent not-to-warm-not-to-cold temperature. He slowly and carefully stepped deeper into the water, Zayn watching him from the other side of the pool all the while. When he was in waist-deep, he gave a leap and dove completly into the water. He swam a few meters before he could spot a familiar pair of slim legs at the end of the pool. He went back up, taking a deep breath and finding himself face-to-face with Zayn.

"Hi," he grinned.

"Hi," Zayn responded quietly, bringing his hand up to Liams face to brush away some water droplets from his eyes. Liam snug one hand around Zayns waist, sliding his hand down his back and resting it just above the curve of his butt. Zayn leaned up to kiss him, placing small pecks on Liam's lips, wrapping both his arms around Liam's neck. Liam slid his hand down further, cupping Zany cheek and squeezing, causing him to yelp and swat at his arm. Liam chuckled and squeezed again before putting his hands on the prince´s stomach, stroking the area round his navel and slowly traveling further down, his movement causing tiny swirls of water all the way down.

"Leeyum," Zayn breathed, dopping his arms to grip at Liams waist and burying his face in the crook of Liams neck. Liams hand reached Zayns half-hard cock, fingers stroking slowly and teasingly, causing Zayn to let out a small whine.

"Can I-?" Liam asked, halting his movement. Zayn only growled in response which Liam took as an encouragement to take Zayn fully in his hand and start stroking. Liam let out a gasp of surprise when he felt a long-fingered hand taking his own erection and stroking in simultaneously with his own movement. He could hear Zayn moaning and huffing, at one point even biting his neck when Liam brushed his thumb over his slit and giving an especially hard squeeze to Liams cock when Liam started nipping at his earlobe.

They were both close, Zayn shuddering in Liams arms and Liam letting out tiny groans from time to time. It took only a few more strokes for Zayn to reach his release with a loud moan, pushing Liam over the edge not long after. They were both quietly panting for a few moments. Liam had his arms wrapped around Zayn's shoulders, holding him tight and placing tiny kisses on the top of his head.

They eventually pulled apart and Zayn sat up on the edge of the pool, dangling his feet in the water. "That was good," he smiled.

"It was," Liam agreed, pushing himself between Zayns legs and leaning up to peck him on the lips. "Even tough you'll definetly have to replace the water in this pool now."

Zayn shrugged. "I'm the only one bathing here anyways."

"What, this is your bath?"

"Yes?" Liam snorted. Zayn flicked a few water droplets at him.

"No wonder you tried to turn the whole palace into your own bath when you were there."

"I didn't."

"You did."

"Fuck you."

"Maby later."

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone :)  
> Please enjoy this new chapter :)

-

"Do you really have to leave?" Zayn pulled the blanket tighter around himself while he watched Liam stuffing his clothes into a bag.

"It's only for a few days. I'll be back before you know I'm gone." He closed his bag and corded it shut as well as he could. When he turned ariund to look at Zayn, the other had rested his chin upon his knees, pout on his lips and eyes wide and pleading. He reached forward to grab Liam's hand.

"Stay?" he smiled.

"Nope!" Liam pulled away his hand and shouldered his bag. "We've talked trough this already. Besides, your father and sister are coming home tomorrow. So you won't be alone either." Zayn flopped back down on the bed and sighed.

"Im alone whenever you aren't with me, my love."

"Are you talking about me or the bed?" Liam grinned.

"The bed, because it's always there for me."

"Come on." Liam sat down next to Zayn, resting his hand upon his lover's tigh and rubbing small circles into his skin.

"Should I tell you the story about king Salomo?"

"No, Zayn."

"It's a good story!" The prince protested.

"So tell it to me when I'm back."

"Hmpf." Zayn turned his head and covered his eyes with his arm.

"Hey." Liam tickled Zayns feet to get the other to look at him. "I love you ok? But Harry is my best friend and he needs me right now."

"Fine."

"Give me a kiss?"

"Maybe when you're back, Liam."

-

Zayn was woken by a quiet knock and the creaking sound of a door opening. He sleepily raised his head from where it had previously been buried in one of his many pillows to look at the person that had entered the room.

"Good morning son." His father smiled, his eyes as always twinkling.

"Ugh."

"I came to talk about something very important with you."

"Really?" Zayn raised his eyebrows.

"Yes. I came to talk with you about Liam."

"Oh." Zayn said up in his bed, rubbing his eyes. "I thought you weren't bothered by...us."

"Oh, I'm not," his father replied, moving to stand in front of the window, gazing at the orange tree in front of it. "With your Qitura and all... No, I'm not bothered. But I have to ask-" He turned towards Zayn, locking his dark eyes with his son's.

"Yes?"

"Zayn, do you love him?"

"What?" Zayn asked, dumbfounded by his fathers question. "I- yes. Yes, I do love him," he said slowly. "Why?"

His father was silent for a moment. Then, he put his hand in one of his pockets and pulled out a small box, fiddling with it for a moment before handing it to Zayn.

"I think you should have this. I know you two can't be united in the same way as a man and a woman can, but it symbolises love either way."

Zayn slowly opened the lid of the box, revealing a small golden ring with a glittering orange stone in the middle.

"Wow," he breathed before looking up at his father. "Thank you, father."

His father nodded, then leaned forward to ruffle Zayns hair, causing the prince to yelp and swat at his hand.

-

"Liam," Zayn breathed quietly, tightning his legs around Liams hips. The other was taking his time, his thrusts slow and dragging, leaving Zayn a panting mess in his arms. Liam buried his face in the crook of Zayns neck, sucking at the skin and making Zayn moan."Liam. Liam," he chanted, his fingers grabbing at Liams shoulders and lips searching to meet his lover's. It took another deep thrust of Liams hips for Zayn to spill his release between their sweaty bodys, Liam following soon after.

They were both panting in each others arms, Liam pressed a kiss to his lover lips before pulling away, making Zayn whine.

"That was nice," Liam stated when they came down from their high, Zayn now cuddled up to his chest, his fingertips brushing over Liams tan skin.

Zayn suddenly sat up and looked at Liam.

"Liam," he said.

"Hm?"

"Do you love me?"

"What?"

"Do you love me?" he repeated.

"Of course I love you Zayn. Why do you think I'm here?"

"Good." Zayn smiled before turning around an pulling out the small box from underneath one of his pillows. "Because I have something for you. Give me your hand," he demanded. Liam held up his hand, smiling softly as he watched Zayn slipping on the small golden ring.

"I'm impressed," he stated, gazing at the sparkling ring on his finger.

"It's a nice ring, right?" Zayn grinned.

"No I was more talking about the fact that you were able to find the ring in your ocean of pillows."

"Hey," Zayn said, laughing when Liam pulled him down and kissed him on the nose.

"I love you, Zayn. A lot."

"I love you too, Liam."

 

 


	10. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!  
> I'm sorry I didn't announce this earlier but this is actually the last chapter of this fanfiction...  
> I know that this has definetely been the best storyline ever (lol) but if you would like to read some more of this AU you can always check out the amazing first part of this series by my co-author ZoeRavenclaw28 :)  
> Please enjoy!

-

"It's strange," Liam said, gazing out over the ocean that was being painted red by the setting sun. "But I can barely tell what season it is around here."

Zayn turned to look at him from where he was sprawled out upon the sand propped up on his ellbows. There were little grains of sand caught in his hair that was still slightly wet from when they went swimming earlier.

"Does that bother you?" he asked.

"No it's just" Liam paused for a moment."It's just different. Come, let's go and get dinner." He stood up, brushing the sand of his trousers before helping Zayn up too. Their walk back to the house was quiet, the only thing heard being the waves on the coast and some birds singing in the orange trees. Liam could feel the grass tickling his feet and breathed in the sweet scent of the blossoming trees.

"You're so quiet today," Zayn finally spoke up. "Is everything alright?" Liam said nothing, instead fidgeting with the sparkling golden ring on his finger.

"Liam?"

"I was just thinking about how," Liam started "I was just thinking about how everything is kind of different here."

"Oh," Zayn said.

Liam shrugged. "I mean, I knew i knew it was going to be different."

"Do you miss home?"

Liam considered the question for a moment."I miss Harry," he said slowly. "And I miss my other friends. And I miss snow. Does it ever snow around here?"

Zayn shook his head and Liam sighed. They had reached the house by now, but instead of entering, Liam turned around to look at the sky. The sun had completely set by now, revealing the velvety blue night sky sprinkled with tiny silver lights.

"Even the stars are different."

"Different how?" Zayn asked.

"Just different."

Now it was Zayns turn to sigh. He wrapped his arms around Liam's waist and rested his head on his shoulder, his hair tickling Liams chin.

"I can't change the stars for you. And neither the seasons."

"I'm not asking you to."

Zayn pulled away a little so he could lock his eyes with Liam's. He raised his hand and let it rest upon the sides of Liams face, slowly brushing over his cheekbone.

"Liam," he said quietly.

"Hm?"

"Thank you for coming with me."

The thoughtful look on Liam's face turned into a grin and he playfully ruffled his lover's raven black hair before pecking his nose.

"I'd go anywhere for you, Zayn."

"Really?"

"Yes. Anywhere."

"Great." Zayn smiled, pressing a kiss to his lips. "Can you go inside and get me a coat? I'm freezing."

"Honestly."

"You love me." 

"Eh."

Zayn put his hand on his chest and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Excuse me?" he spoke, making Liam laugh.

"I was kidding. Of course I love you."

"Good," Zayn said, grinning. "Now get me my coat, please."

"Yes, your majesty." Liam laughed before he pulled the prince closer to him and pressed a deep kiss on his lovers lips, whispering a quiet "I love you."

 


End file.
